2008 Division I-II All American Teams

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 28, 2008) - The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) is proud to announce its 18th Annual AVCA Division I-II Men's All-America Teams. The awards will be presented at the NCAA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championship Banquet on the campus of the University of California, Irvine on Wednesday, April 30, 2008.

Top-ranked Penn State University leads the way with five players honored as AVCA Division I-II Men's All-America, placing two on the first team, and three on the second team. Three players from both Long Beach State University and Cal State Northridge received the honor, while Pepperdine University and BYU garnered two recipients apiece. UCLA, UC Irvine, George Mason University, The Ohio State University and Stanford University each landed one player on the All-America teams.

Pepperdine setter Jonathan Winder was selected to an AVCA All-America Team for the fourth consecutive season, becoming only the eighth player in the history of the AVCA Division I-II Men's All-America program to achieve that feat, and the first since his former teammate Sean Rooney from 2002-2005. BYU middle blocker Russell Holmes and outside hitter Ivan Perez were the only players to garner their third All-America honor. Winder, teammate Paul Carroll, UCLA libero Tony Ker and Ohio State setter Daniel Mathews all achieved First-Team status for the second consecutive season.

Dan Alexander, a 6-7 middle blocker for Long Beach State University, is a sophomore from Arcadia, California. He is ranked second in the country in hitting percentage and is fourth in blocks per game. An All-MPSF First-Team honoree, Alexander is a first-time AVCA All-American.

Matt Anderson, a 6-10 outside hitter for Penn State University, is a junior from West Seneca, New York. Anderson, the EIVA Player of the Year, is second in the nation in kills per game, third in points per game, and has 20 matches in which he has tallied 15 or more kills. He is now a two-time AVCA All-American, earning Second-Team honors in 2007.

Paul Carroll, a 6-7 right side/opposite hitter for Pepperdine University, is a junior from Forster, Australia. Carroll leads the nation in kills per game and points per game, and also ranks among the nation's elite in hitting percentage, as well as aces per game. Carroll, an All-MPSF First-Team honoree, is a two-time AVCA All-American, having garnered First-Team honors a year ago.

Russell Holmes, a 6-8 middle blocker for Brigham Young University, is a senior from Fountain Valley, California. An All-MPSF First-Team selection Holmes ranks among the nation's elite in both hitting percentage and blocks per game. He is a three-time AVCA All-American, having received Second-Team accolades in both 2006 and 2007.

Max Holt, a 6-9 middle blocker for Penn State University, is a junior from Cincinnati, Ohio. Holt, a 2008 EIVA First-Team selection, leads the nation in hitting percentage, and ranks among the nation's leaders in blocks per game. He is a first-time AVCA All-American.

Tony Ker, a 5-10 libero for UCLA, is a senior from Valencia, California. Ker, who ranks third in the nation in digs per game, became the Bruins' all-time leader in digs this season, and also set the school record for digs in a match in 2008. He is a two-time AVCA All-American, with First-Team honors to his credit in 2007.

Paul Lotman, a 6-7 outside hitter for Long Beach State University, is a senior from Lakewood, California. Lotman, the MPSF Player of the Year, stands among the top three nationally in kills per game, points per game, and aces per game. He is a first-time AVCA All-American.

Daniel Matthews, a 6-5 setter for The Ohio State University, is a senior from Shorewood, Wisconsin. Matthews, who was named MIVA Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, is ranked in the top ten nationally in assists per game . A three-time MIVA first-team honoree, Matthews has now garnered his second AVCA First-Team All-America nod, having also earned it in 2006.

Eric Vance, a 6-4 outside hitter for Cal State Northridge, is a junior from Camarillo, California. Vance, a 2008 first-team MPSF selection, is ranked among the nation's leaders in kills per game and points per game. This is Vance's first AVCA All-America recognition.

Jonathan Winder, a 6-8 setter for Pepperdine University, is a senior from Irvine, California. Winder, who averages 12.51 assists per game and guided his team to a .316 team hitting percentage - both top ten national rankings - is a four-time All-MPSF selection. Winder becomes just the eighth player in the history of the award to earn four AVCA DI-II Men's All-America honors, having earned first-team accolades in 2007 and second-team in both 2005 and 2006.

AVCA Division I-II Men's Second-Team All-America

Dean Bittner, a 6-7 right side/opposite for Long Beach State University, is a sophomore from Lakewood, California. A 2008 second-team MPSF selection, Bittner is ranked nationally in the top five in kills per game and points per game. Bittner is earning his first AVCA All-America honor.

Dennis Del Valle, a 5-8 libero from Penn State University, is a freshman from Toa Alta, Puerto Rico. Ranked nationally in the top ten in digs per game, Bittner earned 2008 EIVA First-Team and Newcomer of the Year honors while helping Penn State finish the regular season with a No. 1 ranking in the CBS College Sports Network/AVCA Division I-II Men's Coaches Top 15 Poll. Del Valle is a first time AVCA All-American.

Kyle Gramit, a 6-5 right side/opposite for George Mason University, is a junior from Naperville, Illinois. Gramit, who earned first-team All-EIVA honors for the second consecutive year, is ranked among the nation's leaders in a number of statistical categories, including kills per game, points per game, blocks per game and aces per game. This is Gramit's first AVCA All-America award.

Isaac Kneubuhl, a 6-1 outside hitter for Cal State Northridge, is a senior from Pukalani, Hawai'i. A 2008 second-team MPSF selection, Kneubuhl, who is the Matador's primary passer, is ranked nationally in aces per game. Kneubhul is a first time AVCA All-American.

Max Lipsitz, a 6-7 middle blocker for Penn State University, is a sophomore from Williamsville, New York. A wall in the middle for the Nittany Lions, Lipsitz has helped lead No. 1 PSU to a 28-1 mark this season and the EIVA Championship, while he is ranked third nationally in hitting percentage and also sits amongst the EIVA's best in blocks per game. Lipsitz is a first-time AVCA All-American.

Cody Loe, a 6-8 middle blocker for Cal State Northridge, is a freshman from Chatsworth, California. A 2008 MPSF Second-Team selection, Loe finds himself ranked among the best in the nation in hitting percentage and averaged 3.33 kills and 0.94 blocks per game, while hitting leading the Matadors to a 23-7 record. Loe is a first-time AVCA All-American.

Luke Murray, a 6-0 setter for Penn State University, is a senior from East Petersburg, Pennsylvania. Ranked third nationally and first in the EIVA in assists per game, Murray has guided the Penn State attack unit to a .398 team hitting percentage in 2008. Murray is a first-time AVCA All-American.

Ivan Perez, a 6-4 outside hitter for Brigham Young University, is a senior from Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. Ranked amongst the nation's leaders in kills, digs and points per game, Perez earned MPSF First-Team laurels in 2008 while helping the Cougars to a 25-5 record. Perez is now a three-time AVCA All-American, also earning the award in both 2005 and 2007.

Kawika Shoji, a 6-3 setter for Stanford University, is a sophomore from Honolulu, Hawai'i. The quarterback of the court for the Cardinal, Shoji ranks among the leaders in the MPSF with 10.31 assists per game and helped lead the Cardinal to a 17-11 record, an amazing turnaround after a 3-22 showing a year ago. A 2008 MPSF Second-Team honoree, Shoji is a first-time AVCA All-American.

Jon Steller, a 6-7 right side/opposite for the University of California, Irvine, is a junior from Fresno, California. Steller sits amongst the nation's leaders in aces per game, while adding 3.36 kills and 1.06 digs per contest for the Anteaters. Steller is a first-time AVCA All-American.